Story perspectives

Wandsworth Council raises Band D council tax 94%

By Drooid · Sep 19, 2026, 9:59 PM UTC · How we work

Center

MPs Reject Funding

Wandsworth Council announced a 94% (£958) Band D council-tax increase for residents starting next year.
Council officials have already saved £529 per Band D taxpayer, yet deputy leader Peter Graham says they are still fighting for a fairer funding deal.
An £84 million annual funding cut creates a £1,434 per-household shortfall, prompting the tax rise.
MPs Marsha De Cordova, Rosena Allin-Khan and Fleur Anderson said they not back council’s funding request.

Left

Legal Challenge Launched

Wandsworth Council announced it will raise Band D council tax by 94 % (£958) for residents starting next year.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she has instructed lawyers to challenge the funding cut, accusing ministers of favouring Labour-voting areas.
Council warns the cut threatens parks, libraries and services, placing a heavy burden on families.
Wandsworth will submit a Communities Act proposal with Westminster, Richmond upon Thames, Kensington and Chelsea.

Blindspot

Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she has instructed lawyers to see if the government’s funding cut can be blocked, accusing ministers of favouring Labour-voting areas.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

Chancellor George Osborne’s 20 October 2010 Spending Review cut central funding to English councils by about 7 % per year, forcing Birmingham City Council to save £120 million and raise council tax 15 % in 2011, while Wandsworth faces an £84 million reduction and a 94 % Band D increase. The cuts sit within an austerity wave that shrank local-government funding by nearly 60 % from 2010 to 2020, the Local Government Association reports.

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MPs Reject Funding

Wandsworth Council announced a 94% (£958) Band D council-tax increase for residents starting next year.
Council officials have already saved £529 per Band D taxpayer, yet deputy leader Peter Graham says they are still fighting for a fairer funding deal.
An £84 million annual funding cut creates a £1,434 per-household shortfall, prompting the tax rise.
MPs Marsha De Cordova, Rosena Allin-Khan and Fleur Anderson said they not back council’s funding request.

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